


Synopsis: Prophecy

by dairesfanficrefuge_archivist



Category: Highlander: The Series
Genre: Meta, Season/Series 05
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-12-31
Updated: 2003-12-31
Packaged: 2018-12-18 07:04:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11869104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dairesfanficrefuge_archivist/pseuds/dairesfanficrefuge_archivist
Summary: Note from Daire, the archivist: this story was originally archived atDaire's Fanfic Refuge. Deciding to give the stories a more long-term home, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address onDaire's Fanfic Refuge's collection profile.





	Synopsis: Prophecy

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Daire, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Daire's Fanfic Refuge](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Daire%27s_Fanfic_Refuge). Deciding to give the stories a more long-term home, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Daire's Fanfic Refuge's collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/dairesfanficrefuge/profile).

Prophecy

**PROPHECY**

We return for another peek at young Duncan's past in the village of Glenfinnan. He is thirteen, already demonstrating the courage and leadership that will prepare him for his (assumed) destiny as clan chieftain. 

We visit his childhood relationship with Cousin Robert; later they will be rivals for the affection of Debra Campbell. 

Duncan is meant to fulfill a prophecy-the first of many-as we shall see. Cassandra, known then as the Witch of Donan Woods, sees his latent immortality and foresees his destiny. She rescues him as a child, now returning to help the man. 

_New Characters:_

**CASSANDRA** \- An old and beautiful Immortal, possessing extra sensory powers, and the ability to see into the future. When Duncan was a child, her powers labeled her as a witch. 

**ROLAND KANTOS** \- An evil Immortal, possessing a hypnotic and commanding VOICE, once Cassandra's student but now, surpassing her powers. It is prophesied that a 'Highland child, born on the Winter Solstice' will defeat him. I wonder who that could be????? 

**YOUNG DUNCAN MacLEOD** \- Duncan as a child of thirteen, growing up in his village, being groomed to be the clan chieftain. We met IAN and MARY, his parents, in 'Homeland'. 

**YOUNG ROBERT MacLEOD** \- Duncan's cousin, same age. We meet him as a grown man in 'Homeland', as Debra Campbell's intended husband. 

**OLD TOM** \- Elderly, superstitious clansman in Duncan's village. 

**ANDREW BECKMAN** \- Detective hired by Cassandra to find Duncan, later tracked down by Kantos. 

* * *

New York City   
Detective Agency 

The workday is over,   
The office staff's through,   
One man at his desk-   
Still has work to do.   
His name's Andrew Beckman,   
And he has a visitor,   
This trench-coated stranger-   
Soon becomes an inquisitor. 

'I'm Roland Kantos,   
My needs are essential,   
One of your clients.....'   
'But that's confidential.'   
Kantos goes on...   
'Cassandra's her name...'   
THE VOICE, so hypnotic,   
Re-echoes his claim. 

Although he resists,   
Andrew's forced to comply,   
Tells all he learned-   
As her private eye,   
'She wanted to find-   
Duncan MacLeod,'   
He writes Mac's address,   
Now thoroughly cowed. 

'Andy,' asks Kantos,   
'Do you own a gun?'   
Beckman hands him his Glock,   
'That's a real bulky one,'   
But it does the job,   
Kantos shoots 'Andy,'   
Everything's cool,   
Easy as candy. 

Except Beckman's partner-   
At the shot, he comes running,   
'A suicide's happened,'   
Says Kantos with cunning,   
With a gun in his hand,   
The partner asks, 'Whose?'   
He's compelled by that VOICE,   
Meant to lull and confuse. 

'Yours, after you-   
Shot your partner to death,'   
Hands over the Glock,   
Barely pausing for breath,   
Kantos walks out,   
Not turning around,   
Smiling as he-   
Hears the gunshot resound. 

The Dojo/Loft 

The dojo is silent,   
Dark as a tomb,   
MacLeod has returned-   
Slowly entering the gloom,   
Stops at the rack-   
That's where Joe tied him,   
Thinks of the times-   
When Joe was beside him. 

But all that is over,   
He's back on his own,   
He kicks at a bag,   
Wait! He's not alone!   
An Immortal upstairs,   
Sword poised for their meeting...   
He exits the lift,   
With an interesting greeting. 

'Honey...I'm home..'   
No reply, not a sound,   
'Richie?' Not likely-   
That he'd stay around,   
'I'm Duncan MacLeod,   
Of the Clan MacLeod,'   
'I know,' she emerges,   
Her head high and proud. 

'Cassandra?' The last time-   
That he saw her face-   
He was a young lad-   
In a magical place.   
'Have I changed that much?'   
Her tone is beguiling   
'YOU have,' she purrs,   
Appraising him, smiling. 

Flashback, Glenfinnan, Scottish Highlands, 1606 

The village in turmoil-   
Bewailing their plight,   
Something or someone-   
Steals sheep in the night,   
Ian MacLeod's-   
Sure a wolf is to blame,   
'He left bloody pawprints!'   
Is Ian's loud claim. 

He's enlisting the villagers,   
Stout men and true-   
To search Donan woods-   
And track every clue.   
'We'll hunt that beast down!'   
Ian swears confidently,   
While Duncan and Robert-   
Listen intently. 

But others, more fearful-   
Like Old Tom, declare...   
'Go in Donan Woods?   
Strange things happen there.   
There awaits in those woods-   
A witch of great power-   
One born on the Winter-   
Solstice, she'll devour!' 

'Her hair's made of snakes,   
Her eyes glow like coal,   
They pierce to the depth-   
Of your very soul,   
It is no wolf-   
That prowls while you sleep.   
It's the Donan Woods witch-   
That's stealing your sheep.' 

' _I'll_ join the hunt,'   
Says the eager lad, Duncan,   
When his father refuses-   
His brave heart is sunken,   
Turning to Robert...   
'Let's go on our own,   
We'll capture the wolf,   
And as heroes, be known.' 

Robert's reluctant,   
But, Duncan prevails,   
A spit handshake seals-   
A bond 'tween young males,   
They sneak in the woods-   
And a spoor they discern,   
Duncan is certain-   
The wolf will return. 

As they build a trap,   
Robert's thoughts wander to-   
The frightening tales-   
Of the witch. Are they true?   
'What if she makes-   
A toad out of me?'   
'Who'd know the difference?'   
Duncan asks seriously. 

All that they do,   
And all that they say-   
Is carefully watched-   
For not far away-   
A snowy white wolf-   
Slinks forward with cunning,   
Slowly at first...   
Now leaping and RUNNING! 

RUN!! The two boys-   
Through thickets go crashing!   
The wolf is so close-   
They hear its teeth gnashing,   
Duncan sends Robert-   
For help from the clan,   
While he turns and faces-   
The wolf, like a man. 

A branch is his weapon,   
Now poised in his hand,   
He's planted his feet,   
To take a firm stand,   
'C'mon, get it over,'   
The wolf soars through air,   
Then blackness descends,   
Duncan's no longer there! 

That Evening 

He's jolted awake-   
Looking in the wolf's stare,   
But it's only a pelt,   
Dead skin and white hair,   
This must be a dream,   
Stone cottage.... Surreal?   
But it's comfortable, warm-   
With a cheerful appeal. 

From outside, the sound-   
Of a woman's sweet humming,   
Through dense swirling mist-   
From a dark pool, it's coming,   
A ravishing vision-   
Her glance draws him in,   
Pale, in the moonlight-   
She laves ivory skin. 

This lad's never seen-   
A woman's nude form,   
Not shy or ashamed...   
She's inviting and warm,   
'Are you an angel?'   
Cassandra replies...   
Tells him her name,   
Peering deep in his eyes. 

She knows Duncan's name,   
And his birth history,   
'Are you a witch?'   
She increases the mystery.   
'Some say I am-   
Is it evil you see?'   
'No,' Duncan says-   
'You're beautiful to me.' 

She ponders him there,   
Out of time, out of place,   
With the back of her hand-   
She caresses his face,   
This is the Child-   
That she's long awaited,   
The prophecy's fulfillment,   
For _that_...he is fated. 

The Loft, Present Day 

'Your road has been hard,'   
Says Cassandra, 'You've strived.'   
'Yes, a lot's happened-   
But, I have survived...'   
'Did you find me by witchcraft?'   
'No, a detective,'   
He smiles, then Cassandra-   
Explains her objective. 

'Duncan, I need-   
Your help.' 'Why?' he asks,   
She's close to him now,   
In her perfume, he basks,   
'Roland Kantos' she states,   
'One of us?' he inquires,   
'He's more.' Mac must learn-   
What his destiny requires. 

The Shore, Later 

'Duncan, you must-   
Listen to me...   
I'll relate to you now-   
The ordained prophecy-   
In the Highlands, a foundling-   
Winter Solstice was born,   
He emerged into light-   
From the darkness was torn.' 

'He lives and survives,   
Even now drawing breath-   
To rise up and challenge-   
The VOICE that brings death.   
The time is now right,   
He's looked centuries to find me.'   
'Kantos?' asks Duncan,   
'Yes, he's right behind me.' 

Just then, they feel it!   
Like strong aftershocks,   
Kantos is looming-   
Up above, on the rocks.   
Duncan's unfazed,   
And starts up to meet him,   
Spurs Cassandra, 'Let's go-   
You cannot defeat him!' 

'Your confidence is-   
Overwhelming,' says Mac,   
MacLeod will not flinch,   
Nor will he turn back,   
'Duncan MacLeod!'   
A long sword appears,   
'I've waited so long,   
Almost four hundred years!' 

'I almost caught you-   
But that witch had you hidden,'   
He recalls how he searched,   
To the village, he'd ridden,   
Ian MacLeod-   
Was consoling his wife,   
Duncan was missing,   
They feared for his life. 

Flashback, Glenfinnan, Scottish Highlands, 1606 

Robert is breathless,   
From the woods, he has fled,   
'We were after the wolf,   
But he caught _us_ instead!'   
Ian demands-   
Where is his son and heir?   
Pants Robert, still quaking-   
'Duncan's still there.' 

Donan Woods is their goal-   
But, Kantos delays them,   
The yarn that he spins-   
Confounds and dismays them,   
'On the Solstice of winter-   
Thirteen years to the day...   
My newly born son-   
Was stolen away.' 

'He might have been sold-   
Or left as a foundling,   
I'll know his face.'   
To Ian, it's astounding,   
' _There are no foundlings here,_ '   
He says with conviction,   
But Mary, his wife-   
Knows that is fiction. 

'Duncan's our son-   
And always will be,'   
Ian reassures Mary,   
Trust G-d, and you'll see.'   
She sees the men off,   
But, with fears she's beset,   
Is the witch, wolf, or Kantos...   
More of a threat? 

Mary fights off the worry-   
That nearly exhausts her,   
She's hanging her wash-   
When Kantos accosts her,   
He uses that VOICE,   
' _Where's the foundling, my dear?_ '   
She prays and resists,   
'Such a one is not here.' 

Kantos rides off,   
Not knowing his prey-   
Is asleep in the cottage,   
Not too far away,   
Very soon, Duncan wakes,   
Tells Cassandra...he dreamed-   
He was grown...led his clan,   
How strange it all seemed. 

'I saw us together,'   
But he cannot express-   
What is was, they were doing,   
Yet, Cassandra can guess.   
She kisses his lips,   
With the future in mind,   
Some day, he'll be able-   
To respond, in kind. 

The cock crows...it's dawn-   
And Duncan must go,   
Cassandra detains him-   
To make sure he'll know,   
'An enemy's waiting,   
One day you will meet him-   
And when you do-   
You must fight and defeat him.' 

She reminds him of Connor-   
Who was born anew,   
'That's just a clan legend.'   
'Some legends are true.'   
Men's voices outside!   
Determined and grim,   
But Cassandra has one-   
Last question for him. 

'When the wolf was upon you,   
You were not afraid?'   
'No.' 'And why not?'   
Simple logic displayed,   
'Good over Evil-   
Always must win,   
Did you not know that?'   
His lips form a grin. 

'Yes, says Cassandra-   
I know that is true,   
But I needed to hear-   
It spoken by you.'   
This creed now instilled-   
In his soul, as a youth-   
Will guide him forever-   
He'll embody that truth. 

'The wolf will not be-   
Of concern, any more,'   
' _You_ were the wolf,'   
As he exits the door.   
Outside, joyous greetings-   
From his father, the men-   
But his eyes never see-   
That cottage, again. 

Present Day, Rocky Hill by the Shore 

Kantos says, 'So you lived.'   
'So can _you,_ walk away,'   
'The prophecy's signs-   
Have all led to this day,'   
Their battle begins,   
All seems ordinary-   
Then Mac hears THE VOICE-   
From this potent adversary. 

'Your sword's getting heavy,'   
THE VOICE is benumbing,   
'You barely can lift it,   
Mac staggers, succumbing,   
Below stands Cassandra   
Too far to assist,   
She projects to Mac's mind...   
'Resist him....Resist....' 

Mac stumbles backwards-   
In helpless retreat,   
THE VOICE fills his head,   
Its spell is complete.   
To parry the death blow-   
His arms cannot reach,   
Then the tension is shattered...   
By an inhuman screech! 

It's Cassandra who shrieked!   
Kantos loses it all-   
Gives Mac space to breathe-   
Now he lets himself fall-   
Backward through space-   
To the cruel rocks below,   
Barely conscious...he hears-   
Her urging...'Let's go!' 

Mac leans on Cassandra,   
Still needing assistance,   
He's shoved in the car,   
They're soon putting distance-   
Between them and Kantos,   
Who's drained of his vim,   
Using THE VOICE-   
Took a lot out of him. 

The Loft 

'Kantos needs time...   
For his strength to return,'   
Cassandra tells Mac,   
But, Mac wants to learn...   
'What was that power-   
That he used on me?'   
'Suggestion? A trick?'   
She says, guiltily. 

'He was my student,   
A long time ago,   
I was stronger than he,   
That no longer is so.   
He attempted to kill me,   
He might now succeed,   
That's why, it is your-   
Help that I need.' 

'So far the prophecy's-   
Held without flaw.'   
Mac asks Cassandra...   
How much she foresaw,   
'Did you know how I'd live?   
How my father would scorn me?   
How Tessa would die?   
Why didn't you warn me?' 

'I can't see the whole,   
Only glimpses, I spy,'   
Mac asks her point-blank...   
'Am I going to die?'   
She admits, she sees death,   
But cannot see whose,   
Mac won't have time-   
To process this news. 

A Buzz from the dojo,   
It's Kantos, their foe,   
With his newly-charged battery-   
Ready to go.   
MacLeod will not budge,   
Refusing to flee,   
She enters his mind,   
'You must leave, to save me' 

When Kantos comes up...   
Not a soul is around,   
A picture of Mac-   
With Tessa, he's found,   
He rips it in half,   
Just on a whim,   
If she keeps Mac away,   
He will bring Mac to him! 

Nearby Cemetery (Holy Ground) 

Mac's upset with Cassie-   
For making him run,   
'I'll not be controlled!   
Kantos, you...anyone!'   
'He would have killed you.'   
(She caresses his face),   
'Well, he can't harm us here.'   
'But the prophecy's in place.' 

'An evil one comes-   
To destroy those that meet him,   
Only a Highland-   
Child can defeat him,   
Born on winter's solstice,   
Only he can-   
Conquer this evil,   
The Child...and the Man.' 

Nearby, Outside Police Station 

Two cops are chatting-   
As Kantos displays...   
The picture of Duncan-   
From happier days.   
With THE VOICE, he commands,   
'Bring this man to me,   
Search churches and cemeteries,   
That's where he'll be.' 

'He's armed and a danger,   
He must be restrained,'   
With hypnotic power,   
Their thoughts are retrained,   
They'll hunt Duncan down-   
Incapacitate him,   
Then Kantos, victorious-   
Will decapitate him. 

Back at the Cemetery 

'Can't you teach _me_ \-   
To possess the same power?'   
'Kantos always had it,   
I just made it flower.'   
'What _else_ can I use?'   
'What the prophecy compiled,   
If you are the Man,   
Who is the Child?' 

She enters his mind...   
Mysteriously,   
He's transported back...   
Instantaneously...   
The day they first met,   
In her house by the trees   
He encounters... Himself!   
' _You're_ the Child!' Now he sees. 

'I am no child!   
I'm a clan chieftain's son,   
I'll be a great warrior...   
Before I am done.'   
'Yes, says the Highlander,   
Sadly, yet proud...   
He well knows the future-   
Of Duncan MacLeod. 

In a flash, Mac returns,   
'I saw me as a child,'   
'The Child and the Man,   
It's all reconciled.'   
'Duncan MacLeod!'   
The cops Kantos sent...   
Point guns at his head,   
No mistake, their intent. 

Can't she do something?   
Her answer is 'No...   
Duncan, he's using them...   
Run! Hurry...Go!'   
He kicks himself loose,   
Then sprints away,   
Holy Ground will not serve-   
As a refuge today. 

An Alley 

He dashes through streets,   
No way, they won't find him,   
A cop car roars at him,   
More cops are behind him,   
The car picks up speed,   
Impacts him head-on,   
He caroms off the windshield,   
All consciousness, gone. 

Abandoned Warehouse (What else?) 

They cuffed him, while dazed,   
And dragged him away,   
Kantos waits smugly,   
Gloating over his prey,   
Kantos uses THE VOICE-   
To clear each cop's brain,   
Of him and MacLeod,   
No trace will remain. 

Kantos needs time-   
Till his batteries re-start,   
He throws Mac the keys-   
To the cuffs, (He's all heart),   
Mac has no choice,   
He must sit and wait,   
Though it's dark-there's a candle-   
On a low, near-by crate. 

By the flickering light,   
He sees once again,   
The Child has returned...   
Innocent, he was then,   
Young Duncan is curious,   
How will his life be?   
To his probing questions-   
Mac responds, wistfully. 

Dreams MacLeod had-   
When he was a youth,   
Were never fulfilled-   
But the entire truth-   
The wonders and hazards-   
Of the Immortal state-   
Are much too complex-   
For MacLeod to relate. 

'You'll see,' is the best-   
That Duncan can say,   
Meanwhile he must face-   
His enemy today.   
'Are you afraid?'   
Asks the lad without guile,   
'Yes,' admits Mac   
With a half-hearted smile. 

'You'll win, 'cause you're good.   
In any combat-   
Good wins over evil,   
Did you not know that?'   
'It isn't as simple-   
As you have just said,   
His voice has a magic...   
If I listen, I'm dead.' 

'Don't listen.' The Child-   
Now fades from his sight,   
Confused, MacLeod sits-   
And stares at the light-   
From the flickering candle,   
Trying to understand-   
He lets the wax drip-   
Onto his open hand. 

Later 

While waiting for Kantos-   
Mac's keeping busy,   
Perfecting his balance,   
(Doesn't want to get dizzy)   
He's walking a beam-   
Till he senses the creep,   
To Kantos, 'Have you...   
Finished your beauty sleep?' 

Kantos was resting,   
He had to prepare,   
Now they face off,   
No mercy to spare,   
Kantos turns on-   
The power of THE VOICE,   
MacLeod staggers feebly,   
It appears, he's no choice. 

Kantos gains strength-   
He drives Duncan back,   
Mac's fading fast,   
Too weak to attack,   
We see through Mac's eyes,   
And hear what he hears,   
THE VOICE, faint and muffled,   
Merely noise in his ears. 

Kantos is winning,   
His victory tastes nice,   
Then MacLeod rises up-   
With a powerful slice!   
'Impossible!' croaks Kantos,   
Mac responds with a smile,   
Then wiggles his eyebrows-   
In Groucho Marx style. 

The katana strikes true,   
Mac takes his foe's head,   
Pulls the wax from his ears,   
'Couldn't hear what you said!'   
The Quickening recalls-   
The prophecy's connection-   
To Cassandra, Debra Campbell,   
His father's rejection. 

The Child and the Man,   
As a team, overcame-   
This menace. Next time-   
They will do the same,   
The Man grew in strength,   
As the Child knew he would,   
By recalling that Evil-   
Cannot conquer Good. 

The Loft, Later 

Mac's mood is pensive,   
Remembering his youth,   
Hopes, plans and dreams-   
So distant from truth,   
'To the Child,' asks Cassandra-   
'What would you have told?'   
'Maybe, I'd warn him-   
How his life would unfold.' 

'Would you have said-   
'Don't feel and don't grow,   
Don't live with hope?''   
Mac sighs, admits, 'No.'   
'The prophecy's fulfilled,'   
He says, 'Now you leave.'   
She: 'There's one more thing,   
I would like to achieve.' 

She's caught him off guard,   
Slowly opens his shirt,   
He quickly recovers,   
(At this he's expert),   
'Part of the prophecy?'   
'No,' purring huskily,   
As she strokes his chest,   
'This one's just for me.' 

She kisses his mouth,   
But, he halts her advances,   
'Is something wrong?'   
He's taking no chances,   
Can he be bewitched?   
'Just wanted to check,   
To make sure you're real,'   
Softly nuzzling her neck. 

All doubts allayed,   
He lets her dress fall,   
She sighs with delight-   
As...to him...she bares all,   
Mac slowly enfolds-   
Her magnificent chassis,   
Soon he'll know every inch-   
Of his childhood love, Cassie. 

Peace, Emit   
© 2002 

**_Under the Kilt_ from Highlander: The Official Site: **

David Abramowitz, Creative Consultant   
"There was a scene at the end of the show, where MacLeod was kissing and holding Tracy Scoggins as Cassandra. And Dennis Berry held the kiss for so long, that after they did the shot, she turned, and said, "another 20 seconds of that and I would have needed birth control." 

**Don Paonessa, Creative Consultant, Post Production**   
"I shot some second unit, I did some pick-ups of the bad guy getting killed and I shot some inserts of MacLeod lighting a match. We did the obligatory lightning with the Quickening. The main thing for me was that I had to revoice young MacLeod. He was a good-looking kid, he was a good match for the young Duncan, but he couldn't do a Scottish accent. Also, I was working with Dennis on the transitions. And Dennis said, 'One of the things that I'm thinking about as a transition is going into some water and we'll be in the loft set'. I got on set and he said, 'I want to go into a fishbowl'. Dennis went off set and Paul Mitchnick was operating the camera and it was dolly shot, from MacLeod, dollying across to reveal Cassandra, who steps out of the darkness, then we transition. So she stepped out and right in front of her is the fishbowl. As they were blocking the shot, I was looking at the fishbowl. I can see that the fishbowl is reflecting the loft window. So I said to Paul, 'This will be a good transition because if we come in and keep pushing to this fishbowl into that window, I'll be able to cut that window out and it will be our window into the past'. We did and it worked. " 

~ The End of Innocence   
  
---


End file.
